Norway's Stave Churches: Architecture, History, and Legends

Author: Eva Valebrokk

Publisher: Boksenteret, 1997

The Norwegian stave churches are unique - there are no structures like them anywhere in the world. They possess a striking individuality, a character that is distinctively Norwegian. One cannot enter a stave church without being overwhelmed by a feeling of awe. The architecture enhances the spiritual message of the church and the "staves," the masts that support the entire structure, also elevate one's thoughts. More than 800 years have left their mark on these ancient structures, and cause us to reflect on our heritage in wonderment and humility. Imagine the moments of love, sorrow, hope, and faith that these churches have witnessed between the 1100s and the present.

Journalist Eva Valebrokk and architect Thomas Thiis-Evensen, professor in the theory and history of architecture, lead us through each of Norway's remaining stave churches, a total of 29, presenting a cultural legacy which remains alive and vital in our own time.

ISBN: 9788276830118